Jobu’s Rum Rookie Spotlight: Aaron Hicks

Jobu is back with his Rookie Spotlight Series. Next up is the Twins’ promising center fielder Aaron Hicks.

So far in this new series, we’ve profile Texas’ Jurickson Profar, who will open the season at AAA, Tampa Bay’s Wil Myers, who will also open the season at AAA, and the Padres’ Jedd Gyorko, who will most likely break camp with the big league club. That brings us to our fourth installment in the Rookie Spotlight Series, Minnesota’s Aaron Hicks. Have you heard of him? You soon will… Well, technically you will right now!

Hicks, a San Pedro, CA native, was the Twins’ first round pick in the 2008 draft (14th overall) out of Woodrow Wilson High School in Long Beach, CA. I’ll admit I didn’t know much about him until this off-season. With guys like Denard Span and Ben Revere, I figured the Twins CF situation would be all set. Well, the twins traded Span to the Nationals for minor leaguer Alex Meyer in November. Then, in December, they traded Revere to the Phillies for starter Vance Worley and minor leaguer Trevor May. All of a sudden, there was a hole in the outfield. With Chris “Chicken” Parmalee (Yes that’s trademarked by Jobu’s Rum) set to start in right and Josh Willingham taking left, center is totally open for Hicks to step in and take the job.

NOTE: This video might not be sharable at press time. MLB.com is getting stingy as opening day rolls around. Click on it to watch it.

The scouting report on the switch-hitting Hicks says that he’s a legitimate five tool prospect. That means he can, potentially, do it all on both sides of the ball. He’s shown some power in the minors, hitting 13 homers and 11 triples for AA New Britain last season, but he’s mostly known for his speed right now. That speed helps him cover a lot of ground in center and, once he learns how to efficiently run the bases, should get him plenty of steals as well (he swiped 32 bases last season too). If he can hone all of his skills, he could be a Torii Hunter type player by the time all is said and done. Realistically, he could end up hitting for a decent average with 15-20 homers and 20 steals a year while playing stellar defense.

The only reason to possibly hold Hicks back this season is that he’s never played above AA. However, that shouldn’t be a deterrent. There have been plenty of players who have skipped AAA and done quite well for themselves. Based on his spring performance thus far, he seems pretty good to go. Hicks has hit .361/.406/.696 with 4 home runs, 16 RBI and 3 stolen bases. Oh yes, as you saw in the video above, three of those home runs came in one game.

I don’t know about you, but I’m looking forward to Hicks time in Minnesota for the next six or seven seasons.

About Martin Stezano

Uruguayan born and American raised with a unique perspective on the domestic and international sports scenes. It will both tickle your funny bone and enlighten your mind. Love it or hate it...just read it.